Deborah to offer free cardiac screenings for teenagers

Kelly Kultys @kellykultys

Friday

Apr 13, 2018 at 7:30 AM

Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Pemberton Township will be offering free screenings for students ages 12-19 on Saturday, April 21.

PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP — Teenagers and young adults across Burlington County can get a quick, free check of their cardiac functions on April 21, thanks to a screening program from Deborah Heart and Lung Center.

According to the center, Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the number one health-related cause of death for adolescents across United States. Sudden cardiac arrest is the “unexpected loss of heart function, breathing and consciousness,” according to the Mayo Clinic. The sudden cardiac arrest often comes from a “disturbance” in the heart that disrupts its pumping function, which in turn stops blood flow to the rest of the body, according to the clinic.

Up to 2,000 children and young adults could die this year from sudden cardiac arrest, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics.

Because of this, the center, located on Trenton Road in the Browns Mills section of the township, will offer free screenings which includes: taking blood pressure, measuring body mass index, listening for a heart murmur, also called heart auscultation and performing an electrocardiogram, which monitors how the heart beats. If any of those tests raise questions or concerns, the student will then be given an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound scan of the heart.

A Deborah cardiologist will review the results, which then will be delivered to each parent.

“SCA does not discriminate — whether you are an athlete, in the marching band, or a member of the chess club,” a statement from Deborah Heart and Lung Center reads. “Pediatricians do not routinely perform cardiac screenings on teenagers.”

The center has performed the screenings for teenagers for the past few years, and officials said they had identified numerous teens with “undetected cardiac abnormalities.”

The screenings will run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Heart and Lung Center at 200 Trenton Rd. While the screenings are free, students need to register to make an appointment for the day at deborahfoundation.org.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Follow Us

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
Burlington County Times ~ 116 Burrs Rd., Suite B, Westampton, NJ 08060 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service